


only you can fix me

by autcmnleaves



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, merman!minho, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 07:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20093275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autcmnleaves/pseuds/autcmnleaves
Summary: Jisung is 18 when he meets a merman for the first and last time.





	only you can fix me

**Author's Note:**

> i suggest you listen to only you by little mix while reading for the ultimate experience!

Jisung is 10 when he learns about mermaids for the first time.

His teacher, Mrs Kim, tells them everything that we humans know about the mythical creatures. She tells them about the beautiful purple scales on their tales, the way they can live underwater, and Jisung’s eyes widen in excitement.

He never knew there were such creatures living in the sea, and he immediately asked his teacher if he will ever meet one. Mrs Kim smiles sadly as she tells Jisung that they’re rarely confident enough to actually communicate with humans. Smiles falter, including Jisung’s.

He decided not to get his hopes up since that, but sometimes he’d looked at the sea and look for purple scales. When he didn’t spot them, he’d smile sadly and shake his head. It’s almost impossible to meet a mermaid, so why does he still hope so much, only to be left disappointed?

—

It’s five am. Jisung turns his head away from the clock and sighs. Tonight is one of those nights where his thoughts are stronger, leaving him unable to fall asleep. He looks through his window at the beach, and stares. He won’t be able to fall asleep anymore so why not watch the sunrise? 

Jisung quietly gets out of bed, tiptoeing through the house to the front door. Once he’s outside, he sighs in relieve and runs to the beach. He sits down on the sand, and looks at the sea. He loves to come here, the sound of the waves like music to his ears. It gives off a feeling of calmness, and makes him feel at ease.

Jisung takes off his flip flops and stretches his legs, sitting just close enough that the water touches his toes. He looks at the water in front of him, and just smiles. He wishes he could dive in right now, but he decides to just enjoy the quietness and stare at the ocean, watching how the night fades into the day again. Another day.

Jisung’s smile falters when he spots something black in the water not too far away from eyes, and he quickly stands up. He squints his eyes, and he realises the black object is coming closer, starting to look a lot more like a mop of hair. 

And then he’s looking into a pair of black eyes, and Jisung’s eyes widen. He rubs his eyes, because _this has to be a dream. You’re probably just sleep deprived, Jisung._

But when he opens his eyes again, he’s met with the same pair of black eyes and a smile. Jisung’s jaw drops when he sees a glimpse of purple in the water behind the boy. 

“Hello!”, the black haired boy says brightly, and he waves at Jisung. Jisung doesn’t answer, he’s still staring at the boy with his mouth open.

The boy giggles and he moves closer to Jisung. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost”.

Jisung slowly closes his mouth, but his eyes remain wide. “A-Are you a-“

“Yes, I’m a merman, if that’s you’re asking”, the boy says, and grins. Jisung just nods, still in shock. He’s absolutely speechless. 

“So are you ever going to talk to me like a normal person?”, the boy says amused, and Jisung snaps out of his trance. He flushes red. “I-I’m sorry”, he stutters.

The boy just laughs. He swims to the beach and sits down next to Jisung. “It’s okay. You don’t meet a merman everyday”, he says teasingly. “My name is Minho”.

“I-I’m Jisung”, the younger stutters. Minho smiles brightly. “So Jisung, what are you doing here so early?”.

“Couldn’t sleep”, Jisung answers simply. “What about you though? I thought mermaids only come close to the shore at night? Aren’t you afraid someone will see you? What if they kill you?”. 

Minho chuckles. “You saw me and didn’t immediately kill me, right?”, he says with a smile, but it falters when he sees Jisung’s concerned look. He sighs.

“I like to watch you humans. It reminds me of my past”, Minho says, and he looks down. Jisung frowns. “What do you mean, your past?”. 

“Jisung, I used to be human. I used to have legs too”, Minho explains sadly. “I met a merman a few years ago. He said he used to be human, but got cursed by a mermaid. He said he needed the help of as human to break the curse”.

Minho’s eyes begin to water, and Jisung’s eyes widen. “Minho, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I’m sorry for-“. 

“No, I have to. I don’t know why, but I trust you”, Minho interrupts, looking up at him with wide eyes. Jisung closes his mouths and nods, showing the elder that he can continue. 

“I snuck out every evening to meet up with him, spend time with him. He told me only true friendship could break the curse. But I fell in love with him, and I thought he felt the same”. Minho stops for a second, harshly wiping away the tears in his eyes. 

“He used me. He never loved me. He never needed true friendship to break the curse. He just needed someone to fall in love with him and kiss him, transferring the curse to the next person.

My parents were devastated. It killed them when they didn’t find me in my home. I saw them, they immediately went to the beach, knowing that’s where I always go when I’m not feeling well. They were crying so hard, Jisung. They kept screaming my name, hoping I was somewhere here. I wanted to yell back so badly, but I couldn’t. Who wants a merman as a son, anyway?”.

A tear rolls down Jisung’s cheek, and he looks down at his hands in his lap. He didn’t know a curse like this existed, and for a split second he doubts if Minho is telling the truth. But he immediately shakes that thought away. He doesn’t know why, but he trusts Minho. He looks at the other’s hands and grabs one. 

Minho looks up at him with wide eyes, and Jisung smiles back softly. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Is there any way to break the curse?”. 

Minho shakes his head, and he looks down at their intertwined hands. “I don’t know”, he whispers sadly. “I’ve tried everything, but it seems like there’s no way to break the curse. It’s like the only way for me to be human again is to pass the curse onto someone else”. 

Finally, the tears roll down Minho’s cheeks. Jisung hugs him, and lets him cry on his shoulder. 

“I don’t want to pass the curse onto someone else, Jisung”, Minho whispers, sobs getting louder. Jisung shushes him, and softly rubs his back. “And you don’t have to. I’ll help you find a way to break the curse”. 

Minho buries his face in Jisung’s neck. “I just want to be normal again”.

—

The next day, Jisung wakes up at five am to meet Minho again. He sits down on the beach and looks around for a mop of hair. He doesn’t know why he offered to help, they just met after all. He just knew it felt like the right thing to do. 

“Hi Jisung!”. Jisung snaps out of his thoughts. Minho sits next to him, looking at him with sparkly eyes. Jisung gulps and quickly looks away, getting his phone out of his pocket. 

“I did some research yesterday and-“. Minho grabs his phone and inspects it with wide eyes. “Woah, phones have developed a lot”. 

Normally, Jisung would get mad, but he just smiles fondly. “Anyway, I did some research and almost of the websites say only true love can break the curse, which is kind of vague in my opinion”. 

Minho sighs sadly, and he hands Jisung his phone back. “I should just stop trying”. 

Jisung shakes his head. “There was another website which explained it a bit more. According to that website, only a kiss with your soulmate can break the curse. The website looked a bit weird though, but we could always try, right?”. 

Minho nods. “I thought soulmates didn’t exist, but it’s worth the shot”. He looks at Jisung and smiles softly. “Thank you for helping me”. 

Jisung smiles back. “Of course! And this might work! All we have to do is find your soulmate. Easy!”. 

It ended up being not as easy as he thought. How do you find the soulmate of a merman who could be in serious danger if seen by humans? 

Jisung sighs. He’s been trying to come up with ideas for days now, his notebook again laying in front of him on his bed like the last few days, but his mind is blank. 

He really wants to help Minho, but he has no idea how. Jisung closes his notebook and looks at the ocean. 7 hours until he will see the merman again, and Jisung is not looking forward to telling him the news. 

He hates seeing the elder sad, a look of doubt and defeat on his face every time Jisung says he has no plan yet. It’s like his eyes lose its sparkle, leaving only a dull black behind. Jisung hates it.

He never knew you could get lost into someone’s eyes until he met Minho. Every time their eyes meet, Jisung feels his breath hitch. It’s like stars are dancing in those eyes whenever the elder smiles.

Jisung wants to keep seeing those beautiful eyes everyday. 

—

“What were your hobbies when you were still human?”, Jisung asks.  
He takes a sip of his coke, looking at the other curiously. They’ve been hanging out every day for the last two weeks. Minho stopped asking Jisung about his plan days ago, knowing he gets the same response every time anyway. 

Minho smiles. “I liked to dance”, he says, and he grabs another cookie. 

Jisung looks at him in pity. “Do you miss it sometimes?”. 

Minho nods sadly. “All the time. Dancing was a way for me to relieve stress. And I hate to brag but I was pretty good too”.

Jisung laughs. “We’ll see when-“, he starts, but his smile fades when he realises what he was about to say. 

Minho just smiles defeated. “It’s okay. I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I’ll be a merman forever”. 

Jisung quickly shakes his head. “I promised I’ll help you. We’ll break the curse, there has to be a way”, he protests, but Minho shakes his head.

“Don’t male promises you can’t keep”.

— 

“Do you believe in true love, Jisung?”, Minho asks him one morning. 

Jisung shrugs. “I don’t know, I never experienced it”. 

Minho chuckles. “You don’t always have to experience something to believe it”. 

Jisung turns his head to Minho, who’s looking at the ocean with a small smile. Jisung smiles fondly. “I think I do. I’d like to experience true love”, he answers, and he turns his head back to the ocean. “What about you? You experienced it, how does it feel?”. 

Minho sighs dreamily. “It’s like every time you’re with that person, you’re home. No matter how rough your day was, just being with them makes you feel happy and at ease.” Jisung hums. 

“And when you look at them, it’s like everything around you disappears and it’s only you two”, Minho says quietly.

Jisung doesn’t say anything. He grabs Minho’s hand and intertwines their fingers. “I want to go swimming”. 

Minho turns his head to Jisung and smiles. “Let’s go then!”. He slowly pulls the younger into the water, and Jisung shivers. He didn’t know the water would be this cold in August.

“Climb on my back and wrap your legs around my waist”, Minho says. 

Jisung’s eyes widen, and he’s sure he’s red. “A-Are you sure?”, he asks flustered.

Minho nods confidently. If he noticed how flustered Jisung is, he decided not to comment on it. “I’m sure”. 

Jisung slowly wraps his arms around the other’s neck and his legs around his waist. Minho smiles to himself before moving his tail, swimming away from the beach. 

—

Another sleepless night. Another night spent looking at his ceiling. This time for a different reason.

He knows it’s unusual for a human and a merman to become friends. He always remembered his teacher telling him mermaids rarely ever communicate with humans. 

He also knows he never felt this close to someone before. Jisung has always had a hard time making friends. He had some, but he never felt particularly close to them. He always kept parts of himself hidden, not feeling comfortable enough around them to show his true self.

Minho is different. He’s not afraid to show his true self around the other. Minho is the first person he truly feels comfortable with. Their conversations flow so easily, and it’s been like that since day one. 

He likes Minho, a lot. He finds himself feeling a lot happier ever since he met the merman, always looking forward to their 5 am meet-ups. He even sleeps better these days, falling asleep to the thought of gummy smiles and sparkly eyes. 

He thinks about what it would be like if Minho was his _boyfriend._ Holding the other’s hand, kissing his lips. Would his lips be soft, or a bit rough from the salty water? 

Jisung sighs. Maybe he likes Minho a lot more than just as friends. You don’t think about kissing your best friend, right?

—

Jisung spends more nights staring at his notebook, twirling his pen between his fingers, looking at the ocean sometimes as if it has the answers.

A month has gone by, and he thinks he finally found a way to break the curse. All he needs to do is show his idea to Minho.

When they meet up again the next morning, Minho is already waiting for him. 

“Minho, I think I know a way to break the curse!”, Jisung says, out of breath from running.

Minho looks at him with wide eyes. “Y-You’re lying”. 

Jisung shakes his head. “I know I’ve been brainstorming for a while, I’m sorry it took so long. I don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth the try”. Minho just looks at him, looking like he just saw a ghost.

“I have to tell you something”, Jisung continues. “It took me a while to come up with this idea because I had to realise some stuff at first”. 

Jisung takes a deep breath. He gives Minho the page he ripped out of his notebook, and gestures at him to unfold it.

Minho looks at him intensely before slowly unfolding the piece of paper and reading what’s written on it. His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “I-I don’t understand, this just says ‘me’?”. 

Jisung nods. He grabs Minho’s hands. “I’m in love with you”. 

Minho is speechless, and he looks at him with wide eyes. 

“You’re the only person I truly feel comfortable around. We haven’t gone one day without seeing each other and I don’t want it to stop. You said being in love is like being home when you’re with that person. That’s how I feel when I’m with you”, Jisung confesses.

A tear rolls down Minho’s cheek, and he looks down at their intertwined hands. “Jisung, you know we can’t be together. You know I’ll never be human again”. 

Jisung shakes his head. “You’ll be human again, if my plan works”. 

Minho looks up at him hopefully. “What is your plan?”.

Jisung smiles before leaning in and softly pushing his lips against the merman’s. Minho gasps in surprise, but then kisses back. 

Jisung smiles. Minho’s lips really do feel as soft as he thought. He slowly pulls back, hoping his plan worked. He smiles even brighter when he sees that Minho’s tail is gone, replaced with a pair of legs. “Minho, it worked!”.

Minho turns his head and looks in awe when he sees that his legs are indeed back. “Oh my god, it really worked!”.

Jisung grins. “Does this mean you like me back?”.

Minho smiles fondly. “I do. You’re my home”.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! 
> 
> this is just something short i wrote while i’m in spain. i love swimming in the sea and i love mermaid/merman fics so i wrote a short one myself! 
> 
> i also have another fic coming up which i started writing a few weeks ago. it’s going to be longer (mayhaps even my longest one shot ever) and i’m really excited to finish and post it! 
> 
> thanks for reading! :)


End file.
